


look but don't touch

by snagglepuss



Category: The Office (US)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-23
Updated: 2018-11-23
Packaged: 2019-08-28 04:44:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16716810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snagglepuss/pseuds/snagglepuss
Summary: Nobody touches Jim's boyfriend.





	look but don't touch

**Author's Note:**

> I got a request for some protective/jealous Jim, so here you go. I hope I did okay :)

Everyone knew Kelly had a crush on Ryan. It was obvious in almost every move she made. God, she practically stalked the guy-like _Michael_ level stalkery. Wherever he went, she was following close behind him like a lost puppy. A straight guy might have found it cute. Too bad that wasn’t the case.

 

Ryan tried to find it endearing. He really, really did. He was nice to her and tried his best to be kind every time he declined her offer to get drinks or come over to her apartment, but it was getting more and more difficult every time she asked. Ryan didn’t want to come across as an asshole. If he was honest, he didn’t even think he could bring himself to. Luckily for him, Jim didn’t care.

 

Jim knew about Kelly too. He had seen the way she followed him around, the little hints she dropped whenever they were in the same room. Usually, he could deal with her flirtatious behavior. She wasn’t a real threat, anyway, and Jim couldn’t say he blamed her. It was hard enough for him to control himself around Ryan. So, he let it slide. At least until she kissed him.

 

Jim could honestly say he kind of liked Kelly. She was sweet when she wasn’t trying to move in on his boyfriend. Even if he liked her, he was _never_ going to be okay with her kissing Ryan. Kelly kissing _his_ Ryan. The moment Jim saw it happen, any liking he had towards her was gone.

 

For God’s sake, who did she think she was? Swooping in, touching _his_ boyfriend and talking to _his_ boyfriend? Didn’t she know that was _his_ job? Well, of course she didn’t, seeing as they hadn’t told anyone, but _still._ She had no right. She had no right whatsoever to put her mouth or her hands or any other part of her body on _Jim’s_ boyfriend-physically or mentally.

 

He wanted to smack her. He wanted to walk right into the kitchen and smack that boyfriend stealing mouth right off of her face, but he knew he couldn’t. He could lose his job and he knew Ryan wouldn’t want that, not to mention the fact that Jim didn’t really want to hurt Kelly. She hadn’t known any better but still-anyone with eyes could see that Kelly’s flirting made Ryan uncomfortable. How could she be so oblivious?

 

So, instead of smacking her, Jim forced himself to watch Ryan push her away. This was hard to do, considering he was completely fuming, but Jim knew Ryan wouldn’t let her keep touching him. Jim was just as much Ryan’s as Ryan was Jim’s, and they both knew that.

 

Jim watched as Ryan gently pushed Kelly away, mumbling something to her what Jim assumed was something along the lines of “I’m not interested”. He watched as Kelly walked back to the annex, wearing a look of hurt on her face that Jim couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for. Of course Kelly wanted Ryan. Everyone did. Jim was just lucky enough to have him.

 

Jim also watched as Ryan walked back to his desk, making a brief second of eye contact with him before looking away. Ryan couldn’t help but worry a little. He knew Jim had seen and wondered what he could do to make it up to him, though it wasn’t really his fault. He couldn’t help but feel a little guilty, like he had let Jim down.

 

The two of them spent the rest of the morning in silence, Jim ignoring Ryan’s IMs and worried looks from across the room. Jim wasn’t angry. He just didn’t want to talk about it. Not yet. This was a talk they were going to have in private.

 

Jim didn’t want to talk about it, but that wasn’t going to stop him from doing something about it.

 

As soon as he went on his lunch break, he found Ryan in the break room, sitting across from Pam. He was laughing at something she said and Jim’s heart fluttered a little upon seeing the cute smile on his face. Jim made sure Kelly was in the room before he walked in, heading straight to his boyfriend.

 

Ryan smiled up at him with a soft ‘hi’ and Jim couldn’t stop himself from smiling back before gently kissing him, making a public announcement that this was _his_ boyfriend and _not_ Kelly’s, letting everyone know that he was the only one who got to touch Ryan that way.

 

Ryan was shocked at first. They had talked about this multiple times, deciding that letting their coworkers be involved was just asking for trouble. He didn’t mind being out, but they both thought it better not to be. But when it came down to it, Ryan didn’t care. If this was what Jim wanted, he’d do it.

 

Ryan kissed him back a little harder, as if to communicate that he was okay with it, and then it was over. Jim pulled away and Ryan smiled and blushed and Kelly pouted while Pam and Oscar clapped for them and everyone else just kind of smiled and laughed, unsure of how else to react.

 

Jim held Ryan’s hand the rest of their lunchbreak and they smiled at each other before they went back to their desks where, this time, Jim answered Ryan’s messages and they made plans for dinner at Ryan’s apartment.

 

Ryan made spaghetti that night, but neither of them really touched it, both of them still a little high off of the fact that they were out and it went okay, and they didn’t have to hide anymore.

 

Jim spent the evening pressing kisses to every inch of Ryan’s face and whispering about how Ryan was his and he loved him more than stupid Kelly ever could and Ryan laughed. Jim was happy and Ryan was happy and they belonged to each other and everyone knew and everything was good and perfect and wonderful.

 

Jim decided no one could ever love Ryan as much as he did and Ryan sleepily agreed and they fell asleep in each other’s arms, dreading the moment Michael returned to work in the morning.

 


End file.
